Device for fixing a composite sleeper on a railway track support without ballast



United States Patent lnventor Roger Paul Sonneville 5, Rue Maurice Ravel, 92, Saint Cloud, France Appl. No. 774,847 Filed Nov. 12, 1968 Patented Dec. 29, 1970 Priority Oct. 3, 1968 France No. 168579 DEVICE FOR FIXING A COMPOSITE SLEEPER ON A RAILWAY TRACK SUPPORT WITHOUT BALLAST 12 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

11.5. C1 238/115, 238/35, 238/283 Int. Cl E0lb 3/28, EOlb 3/36 [50] Field of Search [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,227,345 5/1917 Tonn 238/116 1,263,915 4/1918 Matheny 238/284 3,289,941 12/1966 Sonneville 238/116 Primary Examiner-Arthur L. La Point Assistant Examiner-Richard A. Bertsch Attorney-Robert E. Burns ABSTRACT: Device for fixing a railway composite sleeper having concrete blocks, interconnected by an elastically yieldable stay, to a ballast-free support. The middle part of the stay is fixed to the support whereas the blocks are free to move vertically a limited extend by elastic deformation of elastomer soles between the blocks and support.

DEVICE FOR FIXING A COMPOSITE SLEEPER ONA RAILWAY TRACK SUPPORT WITHOUT BALLAST The present invention relates to the fixing of sleepers or ties of the composite type, that is, of the type comprising two concrete blocks interconnected by a metal stay, having its own elasticity, on a support which must be protected against vibration at medium and low frequencies, whenever the ballast which usually performs this function is not used.

This case occurs in particular when it is desired to fix the mixed or composite sleepers on a metal or concrete flooring of a structure or building over which the railway passes.

A known way of protecting this support against the effect of high and medium frequencies is to place between the concrete blocks of each sleeper and the support a sole of an elastomer having fluidtight microcells. The horizontal dimensions of this sole are roughly those of the underface of the block and its thickness is determined in taking into account factors such as:

mechanical properties of the microcellular elastomer; those of the track and in particular the spacing between the sleepers; I

the conditions of the traffic intended to travel on the railway track and in particular the weight of the axles, their spacing, the maximum speeds contemplated and the characteristics of the rolling stock, locomotives, wagons and carriages.

However, the sleepers of the track must also be maintained at their original position in the lateral and longitudinal directions and in the vertical direction according to a correct leveling.

The fixing must moreover be such that it allows:

a. when laying, the inevitable minor corrections; possibilities b. during maintenance, the corrections required for reestablishing the original situation. i

It is obvious that there must be avoided any solution which would fix the blocks themselves to the support by means of an assembly employing tightening which, in pressing the blocks on the supports, would result in an initial compression of the microcellular elastomer soles so that the latter would lose a part of their elastic properties.

It is also clear that the fact that the microcellular elastomer sole allows the blocks to undergo large vertical movements (several millimeters) upon the passage of the axles would result in a rapidly-increasing disturbance of the mechanical device maintaining the blocks on the supports.

The object of the invention is therefore to provide a device for fixing a composite sleeper of a railway on a ballast-free support, said composite sleeper comprising two concrete blocks which are interconnected by a stay having its own elasticity and bear on said support through a sole of a cellular material having closed cells. The device according to the invention comprises sleeper guide elements which are integral with said support and position said blocks longitudinally of the track and fixing means rendering the center part of said stay integral with said support.

With this arrangement, as the center part of the composite concrete sleeper is maintained without possibility of movement in the three dimensions of space and bearing in mind the elasticity of the stay, the concrete blocks retain a certain liberty of movement in the vertical direction when their microcellular elastomer sole is compressed and decompressed upon the passage of the axles.

This freedom of vertical movement of the concrete blocks is however limited to the possibilities of elastic deformation of the stay in the vertical plane, so that the sleeper does not undergo excessive fatigue and there is no instantaneous exceeding of the elastic limit of the material of the stay.

Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the ensuing description with reference to the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a sleeper fixed to a support in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 3 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

In the embodiment shown in the drawing, a fixing device according to the invention is applied to a mixed or composite sleeper or tie l of the type described in US. Pat. No. 3,371,866 of Jul. 6, 1965. It must be understood that this sleeper has been chosen only by way of example and that the invention can be applied to any sleeper comprising two concrete blocks or masses 2 interconnected by a stay 3.

In the present case, this stay consists of an L-section member inclined at 45 and having a lower flange 3" and an upper flange 3. v

The sleeper 1 bears on a support 4 which can be the metal. flooring of a structure or construction and is devoid of ballast.

As can be seen better in FIG. 2, each concrete block 2 bears on the support 4 through a sole 5 of a microcellular elastomer having closed cells and possibly a sheet 6 of metal or wood which constitutes a packing-piece enabling the. sleeper to be adjusted in height. 7

Each block 2 is maintained laterally,.that is, longitudinally of the track, by guides 7 which can be simple L-section members welded, or fixed in any other way, to the support 4.

The means proper for fixing the sleeper to the support comprises a bracket 8 (FIG. 3) which is welded, or fixed in any other way, by one of its branches 8" to the support 4.

The bracket or member 8 also comprises a branch 8" which is parallel to the lower flange 3 of the stay and in which is provided an aperture 9. l

The stay 3 is secured to the bracket 8 by a bolt l0, slidable in the aperture 9, a nut 11 and a Washer 12. A packing-piece 13 can be interposed, if desired, between the stay and the bracket.

The sleeper is positioned longitudinally of the track by the guides 7 whose distance apart corresponds to the width of the base of the blocks 2 and it is secured by the bolt 10 and nut 11. Before tightening the nut, the bolt can slide in the aperture 9 and this enables the track to be adjusted in plan, the correct leveling being achieved by means of the packing-pieces 6.

With this arrangement, a certain latitude of vertical movement is allowed the concrete block 2 owing to the elasticity proper to the stay 3 and the necessary corrections when laying or subsequently can be easily and rapidly carried out in view of the simplicity of the fixingdevice. The requirements indicated in the preamble of this specification are therefore well satisfied.

Although a specific embodiment of the invention has been described, many modifications and changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

In particular, the shape of the bracket 8 can be modified and adapted to that of the stay 3 interconnecting the concrete blocks. Further, the manner in which this bracket and the lateral guide elements 7 are fixed of course depends on the nature of the support 4 on which the sleeper is laid.

l. A rail support assembly comprising support means having a ballast-free supporting surface, a composite sleeper including two blocks and a metal stay interconnecting said blocks, said metal stay having its own elasticity and comprising, a member having an L-shaped cross section defined by a pair of flanges so disposed when operatively assembled with said blocks that a substantially horizontal plane bisects the angles between the flanges, a pair of soles of cellular material having closed cells and being located respectively between each said block and said ballast-free supporting surface, sleeper guide elements which are integral with or fixed to said support to position said blocks longitudinally of thetrack, a bracket integral with or fixed to said support means and having a branch substantially parallel to one of said stay flanges, and fixing means for fixing said one flange to said branch of the bracket.

2. An assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said guide elements comprise a plurality of members each having an L- shaped cross section defined by a pair of flanges and having one stay flange to said branch of said bracket.

4. As assembly as claimed in claim 3, wherein said bracket defines an elongated aperture for receiving said bolt.

5. An' assembly as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a packing-piece interposed between each block and said supporting surface.

6. An assembly as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a packing-piece interposed between said one flange of the stay and said branch of the bracket for taking up clearance therebetween.

7. A rail support assembly comprising support means having a metal supporting surface, a composite sleeper comprising two concrete blocks and a metal member interconnecting said "blocks, said metal member having an L-shaped cross section defined by a pair of flanges and being so disposed when operatively assembled with said blocks that the angle between said flanges is bisected by a substantially horizontal plane, a sole of closed cellular material interposed between each block and said supporting surface, guide means fixed to said metal surface to position said blocks longitudinally, a bracket fixed to said metal supporting surface and located substantially in front of the center part of said metal member, said bracket having a first branch fixed to said metal supporting surface and a second branch extending substantially parallel to one flange of said metal member, and means for fixing said center part of the metal member to said second :branch of the bracket. I l

8. An assembly as claimed in claim 7, wherein said guide elements are members each having an L-shapedcross section and having one face secured to said metal supporting surface and another face which is in abutting relatiomwith the corresponding concrete block.

9. An assembly as claimed in claim 7, whereinsaid fixing means comprises a bolt and nut assembly interconnecting said one flange of said metal member to said second branch of said bracket.

10. An assembly as claimed in claim 9, wherein said bracket defined an elongated aperture for receiving said bolt.

11. An assembly as claimed in claim 7, further comprising a packing-piece interposed between each concrete block and said metal supporting surface.

12. An assembly as claimed in claim 7, further comprising a packing-piece interposed between said one flange of said metal member and said second branch of the bracket for taking up clearance therebetween. 

